


To Fight For The Right

by Stories_can_make_us_fly



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angry Ben, Angst, Ben centric, Ben finds out the truth, Boys In Love, Episode Related, Hospitals, Hurt Callum "Halfway" Highway, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Scared Ben, Threats of Violence, Worried Ben, he goes through a lot of emotions, soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28193739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stories_can_make_us_fly/pseuds/Stories_can_make_us_fly
Summary: "Don't feel so good," Callum mumbled. And then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he toppled over. Ben was barely able to catch him in time. Terror gripped his heart like a vice. Unable to hold Callum's weight, he lowered them both to the ground.What if Callum had gotten seriously hurt by Thompson punching him?
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 10
Kudos: 66





	To Fight For The Right

**Author's Note:**

> I know I’m super late with this, but the minute I saw the scene with Thompson punching Callum I couldn’t get this out of my head and had to write it. I wanted to post it much, much sooner, but writing took ages as I came up with more and more stuff I wanted to happen. But here it finally is and I hope you all enjoy it!  
> Please let me know what you think! :)
> 
> I kept the medical stuff as vague as possible, so I hope it’s not widely inaccurate.
> 
> The title is from the song The Impossible Dream.

**To Fight For The Right**

  
  


Ben snapped his fingers in time to the music and sang along while he chopped the onions and tomatoes for the sauce. On the cooker, the water just started boiling and he could put in the pasta any minute now. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was already past eight, making Ben slightly frown. Callum should've been home hours ago. He tried not to worry, he really did. Which, admittedly, was becoming harder and harder each day when he saw the exhaustion taking a permanent hold on Callum's face. Ben didn't like seeing him stretched so thin. The trouble was that Callum didn't talk to him about whatever it was that was stressing him so much and Ben was at his wits end. Cue him cooking dinner. Hopefully, a nice dinner, a glass of wine, them cuddling on the couch, maybe an episode of The Great British Bake Off, would help Callum finally relax a bit.

While he carefully let the pasta fall into the boiling water the song on his play list switched from _Puttin' on the Ritz_ to _The Impossible Dream_. With an excited yelp, which he would forever deny making, Ben turned up the volume and started belting out the lyrics he knew by heart.

He could barely hear himself think, but he didn't care, still relishing in the fact that his implant allowed him to listen to music again. The plates in hand and a watchful eye on the pasta, he danced around the kitchen, setting the table.

Thoroughly distracted, he missed the moment Callum slipped into the house.

" _To be willing to march into hell, for that heavenly cause_ … Bloody hell, Cal," Ben interrupted himself as he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Callum leaning in the door way, a big grin stretched across his face.

"Make some noise, will ya?" Ben huffed, turning the music down.

"Doubt that would've made much of a difference. Could hear ya from the other side of the square."

Ben made a face at him before pulling him into a kiss.

"Been wonderin' when you'd be home," he mumbled against his lips.

"Somethin' came up at work, sorry," Callum answered and looked so incredibly guilty that Ben was taken aback for a moment. That seemed to be the new normal these days. Instead of saying anything, Ben put a hand on Callum's cheek and smiled.

"Don't matter. You're just in time for dinner."

"You didn't have to."

"I know, but I wanted to. Now sit down."

Before he did, Callum pulled him in again and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Thank you."

"Anything for you, gorgeous!"

The pasta needed a few more minutes and Ben used the time to surreptitiously watch Callum at the table. Something was off about him. More so than usual.

"You okay, babe?" he asked when he caught him absent-mindedly rubbing his side.

Callum was startled out of his thoughts and let his hand fall back into his lap.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired."

Ben came over to him and pushed a loose strand of hair out of his face.

"You look pale. Why don't you go upstairs and have a lie down? Dinner's not going anywhere."

Callum turned his head and kissed the inside of Ben's palm.

"I'm okay. Really," he promised when Ben raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"If you say so."

"You can tell me if it tastes like shit, you know. Only one of us is a great cook and it ain't me."

"What?" Callum asked and looked up from where he had been picking at his dinner for the last fifteen minutes.

Ben waved about with his fork. "You've barely eaten anything, Cal."

Callum blushed a deep tone of red that Ben usually found incredibly endearing. Not today though.

"Sorry. It tastes great, I'm just not that hungry. I'm sorry."

Ben smiled at him and reached over the table to take his hand.

"No need to apologise. Tell you what. We put the rest of it in the fridge for later and watch some telly instead, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay," Callum nodded gratefully.

Making an attempt to get up and collect the plates, Ben got stopped by Callum's hand on his arm.

"Let me. Least I can do is clean up when I've already ruined everything else."

"Fine. But you haven't ruined anything," Ben said and made sure Callum understood that he meant it. Callum gave him half a smile, which had to be enough for now, before he got up. Initially, Ben had wanted to go into the living room and look for something to watch, but he decided against it. He had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake. Sipping on his wine, he kept an eye on his boyfriend. Who noticed him watching, of course.

"Can't keep your eyes off me, eh?" Callum joked, his head halfway in the cupboard to stow away the colander.

"'Course not. Gotta enjoy the view while I can," Ben answered with a wink and an appreciated glance at Callum's backside.

"Don't think I don't know what goes on in that head of yours."

"Hmm, maybe you could tell me then," Ben leered and licked his lips after another sip of his wine. "Or better yet, show me."

Callum's eyes flashed dark with desire and he opened his mouth to say something. Whatever it was, though, got stuck in his throat. An expression of pain washed over his face and with a grunt he clutched at his side. Ben was with him in a second.

"Cal? What's wrong?"

"My side. Hurts," he gritted out between clenched teeth.

Ben gently pulled his hand away.

"Let me have a look, yeah?"

Before he could, Callum grabbed his shoulder in a death grip.

"Don't feel so good," he mumbled. And then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he toppled over. Ben was barely able to catch him in time. Terror gripped his heart like a vice. Unable to hold Callum's weight, he lowered them both to the ground.

"Cal? Callum? Babe, wake up," Ben begged, fighting against the panic as he kneeled beside Callum and softly slapped his face. His skin felt cold and sweaty to his touch.

"Baby, please wake up!"

Ben was close to tears now. His hands were shaking so badly that, at first, he couldn't find a pulse. Only after the third try could he feel it beating rapidly against his fingertips. Too fast. _Too fast_.

"Cal, don't do this to me! Please wake up!"

Tears streamed down his face as Callum continued to lie unmoving on the ground. Memories of Paul's body, broken and beaten bloody, flickered before Ben's eyes, getting mixed up with the image of Callum in front of him.

Sobbing, Ben scrambled for his phone.

"Stay with me, Cal," he pleaded. His vision was so blurry that he could barely see the display.

"999, how can I help you?"

"My boyfriend. He … he suddenly collapsed. I don't know what to do. Please, you have to help him!" Ben screamed into the phone.

The voice on the other side immediately turned into emergency-business mode while still staying calm. Not that it helped Ben much.

"What's your address, sir?"

Ben's brain blanked out for a second and took a moment to come up with the information.

"What's your name?" the voice asked next.

"Ben Mitchell. Please, hurry."

"Help is on the way, Ben. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I … I don't know," Ben cried. Sobs wrecked his body and he crawled closer to Callum. What did happen? Why didn't he know? He should be able to answer this. But how could he when he had no idea what was going on in Callum's head anymore, when he hadn't the faintest idea what he got up to when he wasn't home with him? When had they stopped talking? Ben cried harder.

"I don't know." He felt so alone, so helpless.

"I'm here for you, Ben, we will get through this together." The voice took on a soothing tone. "Okay?"

"O...kay."

"Good. What's your boyfriend's name?"

"Callum."

"Has he a pulse? Is he breathing?"

Ben leaned forward, checking again. Callum still felt so cold.

"Yes. But he's cold and his pulse is beating really fast."

There was a clacking sound on the line like someone rapidly typing on a keyboard.

"Why did he faint? Can you tell me that?"

"No. I mean … he said his side was hurtin' and then he suddenly fell over," Ben answered automatically, concentrating on one question after another. Keep everything else at a distance for the moment. Nothing else mattered than telling the voice on the phone what he knew. That and holding on to Callum.

"You're doing great, Ben. Paramedics will be with you any minute now."

Ben nodded, forgetting that the person on the other end of the line couldn't see him.

An eternity later – at least that's what it felt like to Ben – there was a knock on the door and he could see blue lights flashing through the blinds on the kitchen window.

He pressed a quick kiss to Callum's forehead before stumbling to the door.

"Be right back, babe," he promised in a silent whisper.

The paramedics rushed in without taking much notice of Ben. Pushed against the wall, he bit down hard on his fist and watched in horror as they did all sorts of medical stuff that he didn't understand.

"What's going on? Is he okay?" he cried with a desperation he had never heard in his voice before. Wide-eyed, he watched as they lowered the stretcher to the ground and lifted Callum's limp body up.

"We have to take him to the hospital," one of them took the time to throw over his shoulder.

Irrational fear of Callum being taken away from him threatened to overwhelm Ben.

He rushed after them into the cold night air.

"Let me come with him, please. I can't leave him!"

"Afraid that's not possible, I'm sorry."

They had reached the ambulance and pushed the stretcher inside. The doors slammed shut and off they were. Everything was over so fast that Ben's mind couldn't process it. All he knew was that Callum was gone and that Ben might never see him alive again.

"CALLUM!"

Ben screamed after them and if his legs hadn't felt like giving out under him, he would've run after the vanishing vehicle.

Sobbing and crying, he pulled at his hair, the rushing in his head getting louder and louder. How had this happened?! How had they ended up here?

"Ben?"

A familiar voice pierced through his despair. Spinning around, he looked into Kathy's frightened face. Half the square was lurking on their doorsteps or leaning in their windows to see what was going on. On any other day Ben would have snarled at them to mind their own God damn business. But he hardly saw any of them.

A wave of fresh tears overcame him and he threw himself into his mother's arms.

"Mum!" he cried and held onto her for dear life. Kathy, confused and startled by his unusual behaviour, wrapped her arms around him.

Ben only allowed himself a few minutes of solace. Then his panic and fear kicked him into motion and he entangled himself from Kathy's arms.

"I need to get to the hospital. I need to know he's okay," he stammered.

Car keys. He needed his keys. When a frantic search of his pockets came up empty, he wanted to scream in frustration. Before he could rush back inside and turn the house upside down, Kathy grabbed him by the arms and forced him to look at her.

"Darling, you need to calm down!"

"I can't, Mum! Callum … he …"

"I know, but you're in no state to drive. You won't help Callum when you wrap yourself around a lamp post." She gently put her hand on his cheek. "Let me take you, yeah?"

Ben wanted to argue. Wanted to yell at her that he had no time for her driving by the book and no going above the speed limit. But he also knew that Kathy wouldn't budge and the fastest way for him to get to the hospital was to let her have her way. Just this once. So he nodded silently in agreement, his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes burning from keeping the tears at bay.

The car hadn't even fully stopped before Ben threw the door open and sprinted towards the hospital.

"Ben!" Kathy called after him, but he paid her no mind. By the time Kathy had parked the car, Ben had reached the entrance. It seemed luck was on his side just this once; the security guard was distracted by his phone, allowing Ben to enter without having to punch his way in. His good fortune only lasted this far though. As soon as the nurse on duty realised he hadn't any kind of emergency, she became abrasive.

"You have to leave, sir! We have strict protocols in place these days that don't allow any visitors at this hour," the nurse told him in no uncertain terms.

"I know that. Please, it's my boyfriend," he pleaded with her, trying very hard to hold it together. "I have to know what happened to him. Please!"

The thing was, people were indifferent to him on the best of days, let alone had any sympathy to spare him. He knew that and most of the times he didn't care or pretended to anyway. But in this moment, where he was genuinely trying to be nice while going out of his mind with fear, it stung that that woman who didn't even know him stared him down with cold eyes and said, "I can't help you. And even if I had any information on your boyfriend, I couldn't tell you. Family only." She pointed at the door. "Now I must ask you to leave or I will call security."

"Please, I just want to know if he's alive. Please!" He was openly begging now. Too desperate to care how pathetic he might seem. None of it mattered. Only Callum was important. "Please!"

Something in his voice must have sparked a flicker of sympathy in her and with a small sigh she asked, "What's your boyfriend's name again?

"Callum. Callum Highway," he answered in a rush.

She picked up the phone and dialled a number. The seconds ticked by and Ben thought he might pass out from the mix of terrorizing fear, tentative hope, crushing guilt, and anxious anticipation.

"Thank you." The nurse hung up. "I can't tell you much. Only that he arrived 10 minutes ago and is now on his way to surgery."

"But he's alive?"

"Yes, he's alive."

Relief so strong that it made him dizzy washed over Ben. He was alive. Callum was alive! He hadn't lost him.

"You really must leave now, sir," cut the nurse's voice through the fog in his head.

Ben only nodded. In a trance he staggered outside, only to break down where he stood. He sat on the pavement with his head in his hand, crying. Out of relief, exhaustion or fear that something still might happen, he couldn't say.

Kathy opened the back door and Ben let her lead him inside. He was so tired, wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. But how could he? Clinging desperately to the knowledge that Callum was alive when he had gone into surgery, it was still a mystery to Ben what exactly had happened, why Callum was hurt in the first place.

Beyond exhausted, he slumped down into a chair. With his elbows on the table he pressed his hands against the rushing in his ears. The remains of their dinner was laid out on the table, mocking him. Ben wanted to sweep it all off, to make it disappear and erase the memory of this horrible evening. But he couldn't muster up the energy.

"Here you go, darling," Kathy said soothingly and put a cup of tea in front of him. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He'll be up and about in no time, just you see."

"You don't know that!" Ben snapped at her. "He could be dying on the operating table and they wouldn't even fucking tell me, because being his boyfriend and living together is apparently not enough to be considered family." He knew he was unfair, knew that his mum only wanted to help. But he couldn't stop himself. When he was scared, he lashed out.

"Ben …" Kathy started, but got interrupted by Phil walking into the kitchen. From the looks of it, he had already been asleep.

"What's going on here?"

And just like that Ben lost it.

Plates and cutlery shattered on the floor when he threw the table over and screamed at his dad.

"CALLUM'S IN HOSPITAL! THAT'S WHAT’S GOING ON!" he yelled at him. "He's hurt and I don't know why! I told you! I _told_ you he shouldn't work for you. That it's a bad idea. He's not cut out for this!"

"Oy, don't blame me for him not being able to handle himself," Phil shot back. "Ain't on me that he got banged up or whatever. Callum knew what he was gettin' into. He made his own choice."

"Don't," Ben snarled viciously into his dad's face. "Don't you _dare_ say that it's his fault. Whatever happened, it's because we dragged him into this. _We_ did this to him." The ' _I did this to him_ ' died on the tip of his tongue. If he said it out loud, it would become real, would mean Ben was responsible for Callum being hurt. Again. And he couldn't bare that, even when he knew it was true.

"That's enough, you two," Kathy stepped in. "We don't know what happened. There's any number of reasons Callum could've gotten hurt. And you two tearing each other's head off won't help him."

She laid a hand on Ben's shoulder, trying to be comforting.

"You should get some sleep, darling. Everything will look better tomorrow."

Ben angrily slapped her hand away.

"How can I? How can I just go to bed and pretend everything's fine?! I could lose him!"

He stared at his parents with wild eyes. These were the people he should be able to rely on. To be there for him when he needed them the most. But looking at them Ben felt nothing but boiling rage for his Dad and disappointed rejection for his Mum. The realisation that he couldn't count on anyone, least of all his family, swept the rug out from under his feet.

If he stayed a minute longer in this house, he would suffocate.

Ben didn't know how long he wandered around the square, trying to calm down, to make sense of everything. But the more he tried to think, tried to stay hopeful that Callum would be fine, the more his fears ran rampant. Hundreds of different scenarios raced through his head, each one worse than the other. Callum dying. Callum getting beaten up. Callum leaving him because he finally realised that all Ben did was hurting him. The worst one was the image of Callum's body lying in some cold hospital morgue with his vivid blue eyes staring into nothingness. The mere thought of it choked him up.

He needed to find out how Callum was doing. What exactly had caused him to collapse. And if the hospital wouldn't tell him, he had to find another way.

Which is why he found himself on Sonia's doorstep in the middle of the night, banging at the door with his fist.

It was ripped open a couple of minutes later and a tired Sonia yelled into his face, "What the hell is wrong with you?! It's two in the bloody morning..." She blinked at him. "Ben?"

Taking advantage of her confusion, Ben pushed past her into the house.

"You've gotta help me. You're a nurse, you can get information on patients, right?"

"Yes, but I don't … what are you …"

Whitney appeared on the stairs, wrapped in a pink dressing gown and her hair a formless mass.

"Bloody hell, Ben! What are ya doing here?"

They stared at each other for a moment.

Suddenly, Ben had an out of body experience where he somehow looked down on them, Whitney on the stairs and Ben at the bottom looking up at her. They had never really spoken to each other since the disastrous non-wedding. He knew Callum and Whit had made up and were friends now, but him and Whitney were a different story. Ben didn't know if she blamed him somehow for what had happened or if she had forgiven him as she had Callum. It hadn't mattered before. Only now did Ben think about what it must be like for her, him barging into her home in the middle of the night, looking like a mad man. He had no right to turn to her for help. To ask anything of her. Callum and Whit would've never worked out and he knew that Whitney knew it, too. Didn't change the fact that Ben was the one Callum had cheated with when they had still been together.

In any other situation he would have turned to someone else for help, to avoid the inevitable awkwardness if nothing else. But he was desperate and had no idea what else he could do. And Whit and Callum were friends after all, so she would worry about him, too.

He crashed back into his own body and managed to get out, "Callum's in the hospital. I know he had surgery, but I have no idea how he's doing or how badly he's injured."

"Oh my god!" Whitney gasped in shock. Ben thought he saw a flash of accusation in her eyes. Not ready to see his own thoughts in regards to his responsibility for his boyfriend's condition reflected on her face, he turned around to Sonia.

"I don't know what else to do. They won't tell me … I need to know how he is. Please!" His voice broke and he swallowed back a wave of tears.

Sonia seemed momentarily stunned by his vulnerability, a side of him no one aside from Callum ever got to see.

She quickly shook herself out of her surprise though and reached for the phone.

"Let me see what I can do, yeah?"

Ben could have cried, never having felt so thankful to anyone in his life.

With baited breath he listened to Sonia talk to someone, ask a couple of questions than talk to someone else. At some point Whitney came down the rest of the stairs and took his hand.

Startled, he looked at her.

"He's gonna be okay. He wouldn't do that to ya, he loves you too much."

Gulping around the lump in his throat, he smiled at her in gratitude and squeezed her hand. Just like that all the tension between them that had filled the room seconds before evaporated and they were two people who waited to hear about the fate of the person who meant so much to both of them.

"Thanks a lot, Josh. I'll get you a chocolate chip muffin tomorrow," Sonia ended the call.

Ben couldn't breath and Whitney tightened her hold on his hand.

"He came out of surgery half an hour ago. He had a splenic rupture and was bleeding internally. There were some complications, because of the heavy scar tissue he has from his army wound. Plus, he had an allergic reaction to the anaesthesia. But they managed to get it under control. They have him on the ICU just in case, though," Sonia explained, unconsciously switching to her professional voice halfway through.

"But...he's fine? He's gonna be okay?" Ben anxiously asked. He had to make sure.

"He's not completely out of the woods, but they're optimistic, so yeah, for now he's as good as he can be, given the circumstances."

Relief washed through Ben's body so strong that, if it weren't for Whitney holding him up, he would've gone down. Instead she managed to get him to the stairs where they sat together, her arm wrapped around his shoulder. Ben leaned slightly into her side. Callum was fine! He hadn't lost him. For the first time in several hours Ben felt like he could breath again.

"How did he manage to rupture his spleen? What did he do?" Whitney wondered aloud.

That got Ben's exhausted brain thinking again. He looked up at Sonia as if she had the answers to all his questions.

Sonia shrugged. "I don't know. Normally, the spleen is pretty well protected by the spine and the lower rips." She turned to Ben. "Did he fell on something? Blunt abdominal trauma can cause a splenic rupture. Or did someone punch him?"

Ben mentally went through the last couple of days, but came up empty.

"Not that I know of. He didn't say anything."

"Which doesn't say much. Maybe he got into a scuffle at work and didn't think it important enough to mention it," Whitney said with a quick glance at Ben. "He's not the best at taking care of himself."

Ben could only nod, too tired to do much else now that the fear loosened up. The adrenaline high he had run on the last couple of hours came crashing down and Ben could've fallen asleep where he sat. He still had to find out how Callum had gotten hurt – and there would be hell to pay for anyone who might be responsible – but for now he needed to get home and crawl into bed. Where he could breath in Callum's scent from his night shirt to lull him into sleep.

When Ben came down the next morning he found the living room and the kitchen empty. Apparently Phil had chosen to leave early to avoid another confrontation. Good. Ben wasn't in the mood to deal with him.

In the kitchen, he switched the kettle on and searched for the bread. Not much of a breakfast, but he wasn't really hungry anyway.

He just washed down the rest of his toast with his coffee when the door flew open and Stuart barged in.

With a crazed look about him he spun around a few times before his eyes landed on Ben.

Ben was so stunned that he wasn't fast enough to dodge Stuart, who grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yelled into his face.

"Where is he?!"

"I …"

"Tell me where he is! What happened to him?"

Ben didn't feel easily threatened, but Stuart was taller than him and considerably more bulky. Combined with his violent temper and his protectiveness of Callum he could be outright dangerous. Ben vividly remembered being at the wrong side of Stuart's fists and he didn't care for a repeat of the experience. Managing to wriggle out of Stuart's grip, Ben put some distance between them.

"He's in the hospital, okay? He suddenly collapsed yesterday and I don't …" Ben had to swallow. The memories of last night played before his eyes as the fear crept up his throat again. Don't break down! Not now!

Pulling himself together as best as he could, Ben continued, "He's got a ruptured spleen. There was some complications, but they dealt with it. Last I know he was in the ICU as a precaution. 'M going to the hospital and see how he is."

Stuart blinked owlishly while his mind seemed to process the information. Ben expected him to be equally puzzled as Whitney and him yesterday as to how Callum had gotten injured. Instead Stuart let out a primal snarl and slammed his fist on the table, making Ben jump in surprise.

"That arsehole! I'm gonna rip him apart!!!"

"What?!"

Stuart was so caught up in his rage that he didn't notice the alarm on Ben's face. He would have run straight out of the house if Ben hadn't grabbed his arm.

"Stuart, wait! What are you talking about?"

Did Stuart know what had happened?

They wrestled with each other for a moment before Ben managed to block the way out with his body.

"Tell me what's going on!" Ben yelled and Stuart stopped fighting him. They stared at each other, Ben with fire in his eyes and barely able to hold himself together. What did Stuart know? And why did he know and Ben didn't?

Stuart threw his arms up and paced around the kitchen.

"It was that DI, Thompson. Callum's boss. He punched Callum couple of days ago."

What?! That was not what Ben had been expecting.

Frowning, he asked, "Why would his boss punch him?"

Here Stuart hesitated. He looked at Ben with a strange look in his eyes.

"I'm not sure Callum would want me to tell ya."

"Tell me what?" Ben pressed and took a step forward. His voice had taken on a dangerous edge.

Stuart raised his hands in defence.

"Look, I ain't a hundred per cent clear on all the details, so don't rip my head off. And if ya know what's good for ya, you leave Callum alone, too, ya hear me?" Stuart said and raised a threatening fist towards Ben in full on protective big brother mode. Ben on his part was beginning to lose his patience.

"Stuart, I swear to God, if you don't tell me what's going on right now …"

What Stuart said next was worse than anything Ben could ever imagine.

"Callum's been trying to get information on your Dad, so that that DI can arrest him. He wasn't getting anythin' useful, so his boss got fed up and punched him. He's been threatening him for weeks, sounds like, and Callum really wants nothing to do with him anymore, but his boss is a right arse, let me tell ya, and he has all this stuff he's blackmailing Callum with and he really just wants to keep you out of trouble …"

Ben didn't listen anymore. Every word was a stab to his heart. Feeling sick to his stomach, he turned around and ran from the house. Only one thought was hammering over and over again in his head: Callum had betrayed him!

Ben blindly ran around the square. He couldn't see or hear anything, his mind was a jumbled mess. How many times had he defended Callum over the last weeks? Had stood up for him when Shirely or his Dad had questioned his loyalties?

Ben had trusted him. Implicitly. Without a doubt in his heart. Had believed Callum when he had said that he would never put anything before him, before them. Only to find out that it had all been a lie. Callum had gone behind his back, had secretly worked against them.

Of course, everything made sense now. The jumpiness, the late hours at work, the guilty looks. Everything fell into place.

And the bug at the Arches! Callum had been so adamant that Kat wasn't the one to plant it. Because he knew who really did it. Because he had put it there himself!

With a strangled cry Ben collapsed onto a bench. How could he do this? How could Callum betray him like that?

Every conversation they had had over the last couple of weeks became a new meaning. Was somehow tarnished by what Ben now knew. Had Callum played a part the whole time? Had everything he said, everything he did, been a means to an end? When exactly had he turned on them, on Ben? When his implant had been switched on? Before that? When he learned about the heist in the warehouse? After the car robbery?

But he had warned Ben that the police was on their way, hadn't he? He knew about their involvement. So why weren't they currently locked up in a prison cell? Why hadn't Callum grassed them up?

_'I'm doing this for you, Ben. For you! Everything I do is for you, for us.'_

_'I just want to take care of my family.'_

_'I love you!'_

Callum's voice rang in his ears. The promises, the soft words whispered at night, the ridiculous dreams of their future... No! Ben refused to believe that Callum had lied to him, had been pretending the whole time. There had to be a reason. Some element he was overlooking. Because, if nothing else, Callum was a terrible liar, there was no way that he could've kept up a facade every day at every hour of the week. There had to be an explanation!

_'...stuff he's blackmailing Callum with … only wants to keep you out of trouble …'_

Stuart's words that Ben had only half listened to swam to the forefront of his mind. What did he mean by that? What had Thompson over Callum? How was Cal keeping him out of trouble with his actions?

There was still so much Ben didn't understand and for once in his life he was getting answers before he rushed into anything. And it seemed that Stuart of all people was the one to give them to him.

Ben sat in his car and looked to the house on the other side of the road. It was nice. Proper middle class. Garden well tended to, Christmas decorations in perfect harmony and a big welcome sign across the front door. Seemed like Thompson had done well for himself. Apparently blackmailing rookie police officers paid off.

Ben still had trouble comprehending everything. What Callum had gone through. The pressure he must've been under for weeks. Backing himself deeper and deeper into a corner. And everything so Ben wouldn't go to prison. To keep him home and safe.

Hot rage boiled in Ben's veins when he thought about Thompson taking advantage of Callum's good heart. Oh, his fingers were itching to smash Thompson's head in with a crowbar, to make him pay for what he had done to them, to Callum. But it wouldn't help Cal if Ben went on a killing spree. And as much as Thompson deserved to be punished he wasn't worth either one of them serving time. That would mean Thompson would win and Ben couldn't let that happen. No, he was dealing with that bag of scum, rest assured, but he had to be clever about it.

A car stopped in front of the house and a woman got out with two little girls in tow. Ben waited until they vanished inside the house before he followed them. He rang the doorbell and put on his most charming smile while he waited.

The woman from earlier opened after a couple of minutes. She was the archetype of the middle aged housewife, who's only concern was what she would cook for dinner and that her house was in order. Ben could see that the second she smiled at him, all innocent and too trusting. Hard to believe with a copper for a husband, but it played right into Ben's hand.

"Hello, Mrs Thompson? My name's Ben, I'm a colleague of your husband's." Good God, he had no idea that his voice could sound so syrupy.

"Oh, I'm afraid Richard isn't home yet, I'm sorry," she said and sounded genuinely upset to disappoint him.

Ben sighed heavily and bit his lower lip in fake worry.

"That's too bad. I really need to speak to him." He looked at her from under his eyelashes and with half a smile. "Would you mind if I waited in my car until he gets home?"

A horrified expression crossed over her face.

"Oh no, I couldn't possible allow that, it's far too cold outside. Please, come in!"

"That is so kind of you, thank you so much!" Ben said still with his syrupy voice. He deserved an award for this, playing the nice and trustworthy colleague, when in reality he wanted to scream at the woman and beat her husband into a pulp the minute he set foot into his own house.

"It's no trouble at all, really. I'm Evie, by the way," she introduced herself while she led him into the living slash dining room.

The girls from earlier were playing in a corner and barely acknowledged him or their mother.

"Please, sit down. Have you been waiting long outside? You must be freezing, I'll put the kettle on. And I think we have some leftover cake somewhere," Evie chatted away and vanished into the kitchen.

Ben settled into a chair at the table.

"That sounds lovely, Evie, thank you," he called after her. "And if I may say, you have a lovely home. No wonder Dick is always in a rush to get home, although I'm guessing this is all your doing?"

Evie came back with an expensive looking tea pot and a plate full of Battenberg cake. She laughed like a school girl at his compliments. It really was too easy.

"You're a charmer! Thank you. And you're right. I did most of the design. Dickie isn't much for colour schemes or choosing furniture. He's more the physical kind, good with his hands but useless when it comes to planning and such."

Ben took a sip of his tea. "Oh, I can imagine. I'm the same, really. Good at getting my hands dirty, but thinking things through first not so much. Mostly, anyway. Been trying to change lately."

Evie missed the dark look that flashed across his face.

It was getting late and Ben could see Evie glancing at the clock every other minute. He was getting impatient himself, hadn't expected to spent this much time waiting for DI Dickhead to get his corrupt arse home. But he was not leaving until he had taken care of him. Only problem was that Evie might be throwing him out very soon as even the most accommodating hostess would get tired of her guest at some point.

Just as she opened her mouth to tell Ben to get lost in the politest way possible – or at least that was what he thought she was about to say – the front door opened.

Evie smiled at him in relief. "There he is. I was getting worried. I never know if he makes it home safe."

She hurried out into the hall before Ben got a chance to answer. The funny thing was, he might have felt a smidgen of sympathy for her, knowing first hand what it was like to live with a copper. Not that he had ever admitted as such to Callum, but the nights he was on duty Ben often lay awake in their bed, unable to sleep until he heard his boyfriend come home. Any sympathetic feelings, however, were squashed by the knowledge of who her husband was and what he had done.

Scraps of the conversation outside drifted into the room. Ben leaned back in his seat, smug grin on his face and arm stretched out across the back of the empty chair beside him. That he had gotten this close to his family, could have done anything to them if he had wanted to, would be quite the shock to Thompson and Ben couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

He could hear the couple come closer, Evie's voice telling Thompson about their guest.

"What are you talking about, honey? I don't have … " Thompson appeared in the doorway. He stopped short when he saw Ben sitting at his dinning table.

Ben raised his tea cup at him in greeting.

"Evening, Dick," he called out to him cheerfully. "Long day at the office? Been keeping your wife company while you were lockin' up all them criminals. You don't mind, do ya? She makes a lovely cup of tea, by the way. Should give you some pointers, improve the muck you serve at the station."

A scowl contorted Thompson's face into an ugly grimace. Oh, this was gonna be good. Thompson was practically vibrating with anger.

"Mitchell! How dare you?!" he snarled. "I will have you …"

"You," Ben interrupted and put his cup down hard on the table, "will send your wife and kids upstairs, if you know what's good for ya, and then you and me are gonna have a little chat."

"You fucking …"

"Or they can stay and hear how their Daddy is gonna go to prison for attempted murder," Ben kept talking and stared at him with cold eyes. He was done being nice. "Your choice."

Thompson gritted his teeth. Ben could see what was going on in his head by the emotions that flickered across his face: In any other circumstances he would've Ben arrested and locked up in no time, but he didn't want to scare his family or endanger them in any way. Still, he seemed to need a little more incentive.

"How long does it take for a patrol car to get all the way out here?" Ben wondered out loud while he studied his fingernails. "Ten minutes? Fifteen? Could do a lot of damage in fifteen minutes, ya know. So many ways to hurt people. And young kids – easily traumatised these days."

Thompson went pale.

"You wouldn't dare."

No, he wouldn't. Not ever would he drag innocent children into this. But Thompson didn't know that.

"You really wanna take that chance?"

A few more minutes ticked by before Thompson came to a decision.

"Evie, take the girls upstairs. I have some business to discuss with Ben here that they don't need to hear."

Evie came into the room, dish towel in hand and completely oblivious to what was going on, bless her. This whole thing would've been a hell of a lot more complicated if Thompson had chosen a slightly more intelligent wife.

"Of course, dear," she said and called out, "Come on, girls. You can play in your rooms."

Thompson watched his wife usher his daughters out before he focused his attention back on Ben. Leaning on the table with his hands, he hissed, "You have exactly two minutes, Mitchell, to explain all this nonsense before I knock you out and throw you into a bottomless pit."

Ben let his own rage flood through his veins. God, he had never hated another human being as much as he hated Thompson. He wanted to kill him, rip him apart for hurting Callum. It took everything he had to stay calm and not lash out.

"You're not gonna do any of that. In fact, you're gonna let me walk out of here, not telling a soul about this. And tomorrow, you'll erase every speck of evidence you have against me."

In the silence that followed Ben's statement Thompson blinked at him in surprise before he burst out laughing.

"And why would I do that? After tonight, I can have you thrown in jail for at least ten years."

Ben leaped from his chair and grabbed Thompson by the throat in a tight grip.

"Because Callum is in hospital. I had to see him collapse and be rushed off in an ambulance, because of what you did to him. You blackmailed him and threatened him. And I will tell every copper on this planet what you did unless you leave us alone."

A flicker of fear flashed across Thompson's face. If Ben had had any doubts left about what Stuart had told him, they would be gone now.

"You can't prove anything."

"No?" Ben let go of him and settled back into his chair, forcing himself to appear calm and collected once again. "There was a witness, remember? And I bet there's some CCTV footage to be found somewhere. Not to mention Callum who can attest to everything you did to him."

"No one's gonna believe you. You're just a bunch of criminals," Thompson spat out, but Ben could see that he was nervous.

"Maybe I am. But Callum? Army vet, wounded in the service for Queen and country? Nicest person in the whole of London, helping old ladies across the street, donating regularly to a bunch of charities? Wanting to help people by becoming a copper? Every jury is gonna eat out of his hand in no time."

"Yeah? Even if they knew he beat a man half to death?" Thompson countered with a sneer. What?

Ben's eyes widened in shock. What was he talking about? Stuart hadn't mentioned any of that. When he saw Ben's stunned expression Thomspon's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Now that he had finally found something to lord over Ben he seemed to think he had the upper hand again.

"Oh, your boyfriend forgot to mention that little detail, did he? How he broke basically every bone in Hardcastle's body?"

Disbelieving, Ben shook his head.

"Cal would never do that," he muttered, more to himself than anything.

"Oh, but he did. Took a metal pipe and nearly killed him. Got it all on tape. How your boy completely lost it when Hardcastle made the tiniest hint of hurting you. He's just as mental and deranged as you are. You can share a nice cosy prison cell together."

If Thompson thought his words scared Ben, he couldn't have been more wrong. For what felt like the hundredth time in just one day Ben's world shifted in his axis. That Callum had done that. Had been so enraged by the mere thought of Ben getting hurt. It was probably a sign of how messed up he was, but Ben had never felt more loved. That there was someone who cared so much about him, who would stop at nothing to protect him, made him feel warm and safe inside. Closing his eye, he took a moment to breath, to ground himself with every happy memory he had of Callum. He would make sure that no one, _no one_ , would ever get the chance to hurt him again. Would even come near Callum to do him harm.

Thompson mistook Ben's silence for a victory. His triumphant chuckle drew Ben out of his trance and his eyes snapped open. With a piercing glare, he stood up and stepped towards Thompson.

"As far as I know you had that bug planted illegally, so anything you got from it means bugger-all in court."

He went on before Thompson could open his mouth. "And even if we were going to prison – which is a big if – Cal and me would be fine. Been there, done that. I can take care of myself and Callum, too. I'll make sure no one touches him in there. But you?" Ben whistled. "A copper, locked up with the very people he put there himself? You're not gonna last a day before they have you stringed up. Trust me on that. Some of the boys in there have nothing to lose and letting off some steam on the likes of you is just what they need."

There. He had him. Fear of what Ben had described made Thompson take a step back. Slowly, the realisation that there was no possible way for him to get out of this situation seemed to dawn on him. Unless he left them alone. That was his only option.

"Glad we got that settled then," Ben said when Thompson just glared daggers at him. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Dick. And give my best to the missus."

"Get out of here, Mitchell. Now!" Thompson gritted out. "One day, I'll get you. You and the rest of your family," he spat as Ben made his way to the door.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Dickie," Ben threw over his shoulder.

He was nearly out of the house, when he stopped and turned around again.

Thompson was sitting at the table, head in his hands. At Ben's returning footsteps, he looked up.

"What?"

"Just one more thing," Ben said. Leaning down to him, he whispered into his ear, "Should Callum die, I. Will. Kill. You."

When the car door slammed shut behind Ben all his energy left him in a rush. He hadn't been sure it would work. Until the last moment he had feared Thompson wouldn't back off, no matter what Ben threatened him with. But it was done now. The whole bloody business laid to rest. Ben had thought he would be relieved. Feel somehow lighter. Able to properly breath again. Instead, fear still clutched at his heart. What if Callum didn't recover from his injury? If he was more hurt than they had told him? How dangerous was a splenic rupture? Ben had no idea. He just wanted Callum. Home and safe in his arms where no one could hurt him.

The need to see his boyfriend, to see with his own eyes that he was okay, became overwhelming. To hell with hospital policy! He was going to see Callum. Now! And if he had to sneak in dressed up as a nurse, so be it.

Starting the engine, Ben stepped on the gas pedal and drove off with screeching tires.

"I'm here to see Callum Highway," Ben told the nurse on duty with all the confidence he could muster.

The nurse looked up and scanned him up and down with a look, clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

"Family only, sir, I'm sorry …"

"I am family!" Ben insisted. He wouldn't be deterred. Not again. He needed to see Callum! When he saw the sceptical look on the nurse's face, he said the first thing that came to his mind, to make sure that they finally understood that he had a right to know.

"I'm his husband."

The nurse's whole demeanour changed in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't know Mr Highway had a spouse or we would've contacted you."

If Ben had known that this little white lie would get him what he wanted, he would've told it the minute Cal had been brought in. Lesson learned.

While he followed the nurse through the corridors, Ben marvelled on the fact how good it had felt to say those words. _I'm his husband_. To be tied to Callum in such a way... Maybe someday.

"He was transferred out of the ICU this afternoon. He's been awake every so often for a couple of minutes. Everything looks good so far and the doctors are optimistic that he's gonna make a full recovery."

Ben's knees were suddenly very weak and he tripped over his own feet while his mind was spinning: He's gonna be okay!

The nurse opened a door on the right and finally, Ben laid eyes on Callum. He was pale and looked awful, hooked up to a bunch of machines to monitor his heart rate and whatnot, but he was breathing and there and alive.

Forgetting everything else, Ben rushed into the room. He didn't hear anymore of the nurse's words, didn't hear the door click shut behind him. All of his attention was focused on Callum. Sinking down on the edge of the bed, he took Callum's hand. He wanted to hug him and never let got, but was afraid of hurting him. So Ben just held on to him in a death grip and carefully reached out his hand to caress his boyfriend's cheek.

"You scared me, baby," he whispered into the quiet room. There was no response from Callum. Only his breathing as he slept. It was enough for now. To see and hear him breathing.

Ben shifted around in the uncomfortable plastic chair. His neck hurt from the unnatural position and his back was killing him while he drifted in and out of sleep. What he wouldn't give to be in his own bed right now. Soft mattress, fluffy pillows and warm duvet … Later. All of that could wait. He wouldn't leave until Callum woke up. Until he had spoken to him and was sure everything was alright.

Sighing, Ben gave up on sleep. He sat up straighter, focused his attention back on Callum.

"The one time it's an advantage for you to be light sleeper and you are dead to the world."

The second the words left his mouth Ben winced in horror. Not dead. Never dead. The fear he had thought had left him for good came back full force. Suddenly, it became hard to breath and Ben reached for Callum's hand. To ground himself. To feel his steady pulse under his fingertips.

As if Callum had sensed his distress and somehow knew that Ben was spiralling out of control beside him, he started to stir. His eyelids fluttered and slowly, oh so slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Ben?"

A wave of tears threatened to choke him up and Ben needed a minute swallow them back down.

"Hey there, gorgeous," he said softly. "Decided it's finally time to wake up from your beauty sleep?"

Blinking in confusion, Callum looked around and tried to make sense of where he was.

"What happened? Where am I?"

Ben squeezed his hand.

"You're in the hospital. Your spleen ruptured."

Callum's eyes snapped back to him in shock.

"I … what? But how? I don't understand …"

The confusion on his face gave way to understanding as Callum started to remember what had happened, followed by quickly suppressed guilt and shame. Ben might have missed it if he hadn't been looking directly into Callum's eyes.

"Oh," he said. And then, "Yeah. I got punched when …"

"Don't," Ben interrupted him. He couldn't bear it. Couldn't bear to listen to more of the lies Callum had told him over the last weeks.

"I know, Cal, okay? I know."

If he had thought Callum would be relieved, he was wrong. Starring at him in horror, Callum pulled his hand back and tried to sit up. Tried to put some distance between them. His breathing picked up and the heart rate monitor he was still attached to started beeping.

"You know? But how … oh God!"

Ben was having none of it.

He got up and took Callum's head in his hands.

"Hey. Hey, look at me, baby. Look at me!"

Callum's eyes were still wide and fearful, but he did as he was told.

"It's okay. Stu told me what happened. It's okay, you hear me? And I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that alone. Can you forgive me?"

"I … forgive you? I was the one who … I betrayed you, Ben! I lied to you this whole time." Tears started to gather in Callum's eyes. It broke Ben's heart.

Resting their foreheads together, he whispered into the space between them, "You didn't betray me. You were protecting me, trying to keep me safe. How could I possibly be mad about that? I love you so much, silly!"

The dam broke and Callum started sobbing. Ben pulled him into his arms, his own tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant … I didn't know what to do and Thomspon …"

"I know. It's okay. It's over. Thompson's not gonna hurt you anymore, I promise," Ben mumbled into his hair while he held him close.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you again, Cal. It's you and me, yeah? Together."

Callum nodded against his shoulder and Ben pressed a soft kiss to the side of his head.

"I love you."

They would be okay. More than okay. They had each other. Safe and loved in each other's arms. Nothing else mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :) Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! :)  
> I have honestly no idea how this story turned out so long and there were times I didn’t like it at all, but now I quite like it.  
> I hope no one is too out of character. Especially the interaction between Ben and Whitney, who somehow sneaked into this, is something I’m not sure about.  
> Let me know what you thought! ;)  
> Oh, and did I give Thompson Richard as a first name, so Ben could call him Dick to his face? Yes. Yes, I absolutely did.  
> And in case anyone is interested: I had the Susan Boyle version of The Impossible Dream and Gregory Porter’s cover of Puttin’ on the Ritz in mind for the songs Ben is listening to in the beginning.


End file.
